Cam driven high pressure fuel pumps have become a common solution for generating high pressure fuel in common rails utilized in direct injection internal combustion engines. Fuel pumps typically include pumping elements that comprise a pumping plunger reciprocating within a bore. These fuel pumps are typically driven by a tappet mounted adjacent to a cam for cyclically pushing on the actuated end of the pumping plunger. The pumping plunger's reciprocating motion is typically accomplished with a mechanism that moves the plunger with a rotating cam. For typical pumping operations the overall reciprocating mass of the pump system is manageable with a single return spring mounted at a lower section of the fuel pump. This spring directly returns the pumping plunger and the plunger simultaneously returns the tappet. The conventional plunger return spring is located between the pump body and a spring seat or spring retainer mounted on the actuated end of the pumping plunger. As is known in the art, pumping plungers are susceptible to seizure during high pressure pumping operations due to, for example, increased plunger thermal loads, debris build up within the bore which houses the plunger, or inadvertent side loading of the plunger. As such, a need exists for a pumping element that separates the plunger extension function and the tappet preload function by, for example, adding an additional spring and an extender element which enables a seized plunger to un-seize and continue normal operation thereby avoiding engine downtime. A need further exists for an extender element having a design which reduces the pressurization and flow of fluid into the plunger bore during reciprocal movement of the pumping plunger.